Playing-ball.



Patented Mai- 2'5, |902, nos". K ALL.

F'. H. mcHA PLAYING B.

No. 696,35I.

` `Wimessevs UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THEKEMPSIIALL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION `OF NEW JERSEY.

PLAYING-BALL'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,351, dated March25, 19,02. Application filed December 3, 1901. Serial No. 84,529. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hartford, in the county of kHartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements'V inPlaying-Balls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to springy playingballs, and especially to thoseto which it is desired to impart great momentum, so that Vthey may fly along distance.

Playing-balls have sometimes been made of soft rubber in the form ofhollow spheres; but these are so yielding that they suer violentdistortion from the blows of implements, so that undue power is consumedin altering the shape of the ball, which, moreover, fails to receivesufficient impetus to carry it very far, particularly since the ball isnormally in a dead condition and does not become resisting or livelyuntil it has been considerably distorted by the blow, and does notalways react before it leaves the implement. It has heretofore beensought to overcome some of these objections by winding tensioned-r ubberthread into a ball. This does not,l however, produce a solid ball, asthe winding is irregular and numerous interstices occur, rendering theball uncertain in action, so that it does not always give the sameresponse to the same blow. Moreover, the outer vlayer of` elastic threadbinds the inner layers, prevent-` ing them from acting longitudinally.Since the inner threads are merely placed under compression by the outerthreads, the slight difference in action obtained over that of asoft-rubber ball is scarcely enough to justify the expense of making aWound ball. Moreover, the rubber thread is not thoroughly cured, and theeffect of putting it under longitudinal tension is to lessen its life,-so that in avery short time the ball is rendered unfit for use. Theaction of even a low degree of heat is injurious to the tensioned anduncured rubber thread, causing derangement of the shape of the ball,especially if the latter is allowed tov lie with one side exposed to thehot sun, the cooler portions of the tensioned threads contracting as theother portions weaken in the heat.

The object of myinvention is to avoid these objections and to produce aball which is capable of absorbing from an implement a great momentum,so that it may carry or flya long distance.v I aim to minimize thedistortion of the ball, so as to avoid Waste of driving force inchanging and rechanging its shape. I also aim to produce a ball havinguniform action, so that a given blow may always produce thesame result,thus conducing to reliability and accuracy of action of the ball. I

further aim to prolong the life ofthe ball.

In the drawings forming part of this speciiication, Figure lis across-section of one kind of apparatus which may be employed inproducing my improved ball, an unforined ball being shown in theapparatus and a process of manufacture being also indicated. Fig. 2 is aview similar to Fig. 1, but showing a ball as formed and ready to beWithdrawn. Fig. 3 isa cross-section of a blank used in forming myimproved ball, indicating one way in which said blank may be made fromsections. Fig. 4 is a view of a blank made in one piece. Fig. 5 is aview, upon a larger scale, of a ball made in accordance with myimprovements, a portion being broken away, so as to exhibit certaincharacteristics.

In the several views similar parts are designated by similar letters ofreference.

Preferably I employ a hollow sphere A, Fig. 4, made of softindia-rubber, which may, if desired,'be pure rubber, but is preferably arubber compound having firmness and strength or toughness. An opening Bcommunicates with the hollow C of the sphere,`

a funnel H, which is shown as penetrating into the hollow C, althoughthis is not important in all cases. By-means of said funnel the interiorC of the ball is placed in communication with a vessel or receptacle J,

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formed or provided in the apparatus above the chamber D, said receptaclepreferably being round and having a closely-fitting plunger K. I placein the receptacle J a quantity of material, preferably gutta percha,which may by the action of heat be reduced to a plastic or fluidcondition, as at In, Fig. l. This material Hows down the funnel H intothe hollow of the rubber sphere A and drives out the air through a ventM, which in this instance is illustrated as a groove formed in the sidewall of the main opening B and lying without the funnel II. In theportion F of the mold there may be provided a vent N, communicating at Pwith the ball-vent IWI, so the air escaping from the ball may beconducted out of the apparatus. The fluid or plastic material maytherefore settle or be forced by the plunger K through the funnel H, soas to completely fill the interior of the ball A, whereupon the Vent Nin the mold may be closed by a screw-plug Q, Fig. 2, the overflow of thematerial into or through said vent indicating to the workman that thehollow C has been filled. By means of suitable appliances the plunger Kmay be pressed still farther down, so as to force more of the fillingmaterial into theinterior of the ball, causing the walls thereof toyield and distending the ball until it completely fills the largespherical chamber D in the mold, as at Fig. 2. The air may escape fromthe chamber between the mold-section or through a vent T. Sufficientforce may be applied, if desired, to squeeze the rubber shell betweenthe guttapereha and the walls of the chamber. The gutta-percha or othermaterial is allowed to pass from a liquid into a dry or hard conditionwhile the plunger' is still pressed down, so that the expanded conditionof the rubber shell or envelop A3 is made permanent by reason of thissolidification of the core, (indicated byR, Figs. 2 and 5,) and so thatthe rubber envelop by reason otits distended or expanded condition gripsthe core. The core is thus closely joined to the envelop in which it ismolded. The mold may then be taken apart and the ball removed, thefunnel H being withdrawn and the hole left thereby in the ball beingfilled with a rubber plug S, Fig. 5. Preferably the diameter of the coreRis more than half that of the complete ball. In practice I find that bymaking the core two-thirds of the diameter of the finished ballexcellent results are obtained when the core is made of gutta-perchacompressed and the shell is of a firm quality of highlywulcanizedindia-rubber.

The principal effect of expanding a core within the envelop resides inproducing a longitudinal tension of the latter, such tension, which ofcourse extends in all directions around the ball, being indicated byconcentric broken lines A4 at Figs. 2 and 5 and being most pronounced ator near the outer or surface portion of the ball. The inner portion ofsaid envelop is also squeezed (or compressed) between the outer portionof the envelop and the core, such squeezing or compression beingindicated by radiallines A5 and being greatest near the inner surface ofthe envelop, where said radial lines are thickest. Thus the inner andmedian portions of the envelop are both tensioned and cramped or grippedby the outer portion, while the extreme outer portion isin a state oftension only.

It is to be understood that in case condensation of the bulk of the corematerial takes place as a result of the above-described op# eration itis due to the presence of'air-spaces or impurities in the material. Itis not essential in all cases that the core be condensed in bulk so longas it is gripped by the elastic envelop, this gripping or compression ofthe core having the effect, as I apprehend, of rendering the lattersomewhat more lively and eiieetive. By the term compressed" where usedherein I do not intend to convey the idea that the material isnecessarily condensed in bulk, but rather that it is subjected to suchpressure as tends to reduce its bulk. The rubber envelop is preferablywhole or integral or vulcanized in one piece, although within the scopeof my invention said en velop may be made of portions cemented togetherbefore the core material is forced or molded therein. It will be seenthat the molded gutta-pereha nucleus R is permanently confined in itsmold A3, the nucleus and mold together forming an entire playingball, asherein illustrated, or a partial playing-ball, as set forth in mypending application No. 85,892.

It will be perceived that the material of the entire ball from center toperiphery is in an abnormal condition, the core being under compressionand the envelop being both compressed and longitudinally tensione-d, sothat an extraordinary degree of efficiency-'is attained, every aifectedparticle of the ball acting with promptness and vigor in response to ablow. Although the outerpart'of vthe shell or jacket is in a softcondition and effectually cushions the blow of au implement, still theeffect of a blow is different froml the effect upon a ball having auniform softness of texture throughout. In the latter case a severe blowwould violently distort the ball instead of giving the same impetus,whereas in my ball the softness resides only at the surface, and as soonas this slight resistance is overcome a high resistance is met, due tothe presence of the relatively hard solid core, which not only itselfabsorbs momentum from the implement, but also by ieason of its solidityprevents undue distortion of the ball, so that nearly all of the forcegoing from the implement to the ball is utilized to impart velocitythereto. derstood that under the shock of a blow the solid core isslightly displaced from its true central position, thereby aectingsomewhat the material of the envelop at the opposite It will also beun-A IIO side of the ball from the implement and also f affecting otherportions of the envelop, so that almost if not all the material of theenvelop is called into action and instantly reacts, thereby imparting ahigh degree of activity or liveliness to the ball and causing the sameto leave the implement at high velocity. Only a vslight distortion isproduced at any portion of the ball, Whose entire mass in thus renderedactive in restoring the ball to its original spherical shape and hencein reacting against the implement. It will be understood that the resultof a blow will depend upon the velocity and Weight of the implement, aswell as upon the weight of the ball, the depth of the depressionproduced in the ball, and especially upon the ratio of 'increase inresistance offered thereby. In this instance this ratio is very high,the ball feeling quite soft to a light touch, but offering a hardresistance to pressure. The ball thus has practicallyall the desirablequalities of the usual soft-rubber ball and-also -a phenominal flying orcarrying power.

Owing to the rapidly-increasing resistance even a-heavy blow effectsonly a, slight `distortion of the envelop and 'that only over small areathereof, so that very little force is absorbed in changing andrechanging -the formof the ball. lVIoreover, the period during which thedriver may continue to deliver. power into the ballitselflis increased,with the result of giving to theball a longer flight. The core not onlyretains the envelop in an expanded state, but also .supports the samewhen struck, and by the combined elasticity.

of core and envelop an extremely active and powerful ball is produced.

It is to be understood that invention is not limited in all cases to theuse of a springy., center piece or core, sinceother cores may beemployed Within the scope of theinvention so long Ias a spherical orsegmental elastic hollow ball-or shell is permanently expanded over-asolid or hard core which -is .too large for theoriginal capacity oftheformer.

An important advantage of l my invention resides in -the durabilityofthe'finishedball, since insteadof employing the partially-cured rubberthreads A.of vwhich -balls are woundy which are susceptible to manydeleterious iniuences, I employ rubber of firm-texture and highlyvulcanized, and hence Anot liable to deterioration, s'o that the ballnot only with stands severe usage, but remains in its original elasticcondition for a long time. In theY rubber-thread balls itis usual tostretch the thread -nearly to the breakingpoint while winding, andowing. to such violent treatment the threadrapidly loses its life,particularly since it is not Well cured, while in my ball better resultsare obtained by subjecting rubber which Ais Well cured toconsiderablyless tension,thereby conducing to longlife of tlie'ball. Further, bytensioning the rubber after the manner of my inventionit is given-apromptness in action which is not possible in a rub- .terial Within theshell.

ber-thread ball, the action of the inner layers whereof is seriouslyimpeded by 'the binding effect of the outer layers of thread.Moreover,in a rubber-thread ball the tension is in, only one direction,whereas in my elastic envelop the tension is in all directions aroundthe circumference of the ball, and hence the activity of all of theparticles of the rubber envelop is fully developed, or, in short, theball carries no dead-Weight. Moreover, the ball thus formed has auniform solidity or` density which is not found in a thread ball, onaccount of its interstices, and hence the same blow always produces thesame result, enabling the user to play to better advantage. Should theoriginal ball A be somewhat imperfect or irregular in construction orform, the expansion and solidication of the core in the described manneris found to compensate for such imperfection or irregularity, since therubber envelop is caused to t smoothly to the Walls of the sphericalchainber D in the mold, and such irregularities as may exist@ are causedto develop upon the inner surface of said envelop, Where theybecomeembedded with the solid core, and hence are renderedunobjectionable. ThusA I produce a smooth true curvature ofthe peripheryof the ball, which is a desideratum. It Awill be seen that the rubbershell A3 is inflated or distended by the injected plastic or othermobile mass R, such distension' preferably beingcarried to the extent ofexpanding ,the shellor increasing the diameter thereof, althoughexpansion is not necessary in all instances. By the described-processanniformity of density of the core isproduced which is' not attainableby other methodsthat is, the core material is of uniform fdensity,whereas inballswhe're shells are compressed upon. cores un'evenness isapt to occurin manynstances, some parts being more compacted orVcompressed thanfothers, thus tending to impair they accuracy ofy the'flight of the ball.` Such` defects are eliminated -by my invention.lMoreover,theshelLAfisput 'into a uniform conditionover allparts: of theball, which is a novel feature,this qualityy be- -ingfimparted by thehydraulic action of the fluent injected material, wherebyI appre- IOOhend the lines-of stress become radial, and

being preserved by the hardening of the ma- In so far' as certainfeaturesof my invention are concerned it is not essential'in all casesthatthe shell be ofl softfrubber nor `that ther filling be ofVguttapercha.

Modifications and variations may be resorted to within the scope of myinvention. The claims herein are intended to cover a ball, Whetherconsidered as complete and ready for use or as incomplete and intendedonly for the nucleus orrilling of alarger ball. In' my pendingapplications, Serial No. 85,892,.filed December 14,1901, and Serial No.88,842,1iled January 8,1902, I show my present invention used as a filling, the claims in those applications beinglimited to features notdisclosed herein. It is not essential in all forms of my invention thatthe core Whereon my elastic envelop is stretched be of springy materialor l compressed nor intimately joined to the envelop nor in the form ofa solid sphere. I believe I am the tirst to produce a ball consisting ofan elastic spherical envelop stretched over a core.

The herein-disclosed method of producing' a ball is made thesubject-matter of my other pending application, Serial No. 85,1%, filedDecember 9, 1901.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. A whole hollow rubber spherein a state of expansion upon a solid core ofgutta-percha.

2. An integral hollow rubber sphere in a state of expansion upon a solidcore.

3. An integral sphere of rubber' expanded over a solid and relativelyhard filling formed from plastic material.

4. A ball consisting of a whole thick spherical india-rubber sphereclosely itted over a solid sphere of gutta-percha.

5. A ball comprising a Whole sphere of firm india-rubber in a state ofexpansion over a solid sphere of gutta-percha, the diameter of the corebeing more than one-half that of the ball.

6. An integral sphere of soft, elastic material closely fitted upon asolid core of guttaper-cha.

7. A ball comprising a solid sphericalguttapercha core andahighly-vulcanized solid softrubber envelop eipauded thereon.

S. A ball consisting ol a core formed of plastic material Within asofter elastic sphere and holding the latter under tension.

9. A ballconsisting of a thick, spherical india-rubber envelop A3stretched over a core of gutta-percha R and having-an opening closed bya plug S.

y 10. In a playing-ball, a spherical soft-rnbber shell infiated ordistended by a mobile mass injected thereinto.

11. In a playing-ball, a spherical shell formed of springy material andinfiated or distended by gutta-percha injected thereinto.

12. In a playing-ball, a shell formed from springy material and inflatedor distended by springy mobile material injected thereinto.

13. In a playing# ball, a springy shell inlated or distended by springymaterial injected thereinto,one of said shell and injected materialelements being harder than the other.

14:. In a playing-ball, a seamless springy shell inflated or distendedby springy material injected thereinto, one of said shell and injectedmaterial elements being harder than the other. l

15. In a playing-ball, a springy shell inated or distended by springymaterial injected thereinto, said shell being softer than said injectedmaterial.

16. In a playing-ball, a seamless rubber shell expanded by guttaperchainjected thereinto.

FRANCIS ll. RICHARDS. lVitn esses:

B. C. STICKNEY, JOHN O. SEIFERT.

